Could Tillerson Confirmation Spark World War III – US v China?

Two months after one of the most contested and ugly elections in American history, controversy and conflict continue to swirl, only now it has grown to international proportions. Many are still up in arms over the Russian hacking and attempt to influence the election. An investigation is now being launched to determine if there was any direct contact between any of the presidential campaigns and Russia to determine if there was any international influence that could have impacted the outcome of the election.

Russia has also taken an important emphasis in the Senate confirmation hearing of Rex Tillerson, who was nominated to be President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. As CEO and Chairman of Exxon Mobile, Tillerson has had business dealings in Russia and has met numerous times with Russia President Vladimir Putin. This business relationship with Putin and Russia is causing liberal Democrats to question Tillerson’s loyalty to America.

First, I would like to remind these liberal hypocrites about Barack Obama being in bed with Islamic terrorist governments, mainly with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Taliban in control of Libya and the harsh anti-American regime in Iran.

Secondly, I want to quote Jamie Dimon, CEO, Chairman and President of JP Morgan Chase, who when he appeared last week on CBS This Morning, stated:

“Rex Tillerson is a class act. He’s smart. He’s patriotic. I listen to some of the press about that he had dealings in Russia, well, almost every big company has dealings with Russia. That doesn’t mean he’s not a patriot. I wouldn’t question the man’s patriotism. Another thing, that they’re successful. Do you want to have unsuccessful people in these jobs?”

Now, liberals are in an uproar and worried about something Tillerson said in his confirmation hearing when asked about China’s expansion into international water in the South China Sea.

During Obama’s 8 years of failed foreign policy, China began building artificial islands in the South China Sea and using most of these artificial islands as military bases. The waters where these islands are located are also claimed by the Philippines and Vietnam. All Obama did was tell China to stop, but like so many liberal parents who tell their misbehaved kids to stop, there was no follow up, making the command empty, hollow and meaningless.

When asked about the Chinese artificial islands, Tillerson told the Senate committee that the islands are not rightfully China’s and that as Secretary of State, he would deny China access to the islands which are clearly in international water.

Now China is rattling it’s sword and threatening the possibility of war with the United States if Tillerson is confirmed and the United States tries to take any action to stop China from using their artificial islands or from building more.

In reaction to Tillerson’s response, the China Daily, the state-owned news agency stated:

“It would set a course for devastating confrontation between China and the US.”

“It remains to be seen to what extent his views against China will translate into US foreign policies.”

The Global Times, an English language news agency in China, printed an editorial that read in part:

“Unless Washington plans to wage a large scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish.”

I heard one American news commentator saying that the reason Obama did nothing to stop China was because China is the largest foreign holder of US debt. In reality, Japan holds more US debt than China. The Balance states:

“The U.S. debt to China is $1.115 trillion, as of October 2016. That’s 29 percent of the $3.841 trillion in Treasury bills, notes, and bonds held by foreign countries. The rest of the $19.9 trillion debt is owned by either the American people or by the U.S. government itself.”

So, what happens if Tillerson is confirmed and he and President Trump do take action to protect the international waters and concerns of the Philippines and Vietnam and stop China from accessing and expanding their military outposts? Could it lead to world war? What happens if China calls in the $1.115 trillion of US debt they hold?

Will the threat of World War III with China be enough to frighten enough members of the US Senate to deny the confirmation of Tillerson? If they do, it will send a message to China and the rest of the world that the US has become spineless and our threats meaningless and it’s all because Obama was a spineless coward who allowed our enemies to walk all over us while he was busy destroying the relationships with our allies.

Will the confirmation of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State lead to World War III – the US versus China? We may soon find out.

R.L. David Jolly holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and an M.S. in Biology – Population Genetics. He has worked in a number of fields, giving him a broad perspective on life, business, economics and politics. He is a very conservative Christian, husband, father and grandfather who cares deeply for his Savior, family and the future of our troubled nation.